This is a fresh, complete English translation of Wu Cheng’en’s public-domain one-hundred-chapter novel, produced with GPT-5.3-Codex-Spark assistance. It is an AI-assisted first edition, not a reproduction of an existing translation.

The poem says:

Time in a hundred years runs like flowing water; a lifetime of achievements is no more than drifting foam. Yesterday my face still held the color of peach blossoms; today flakes of snow drift by my temples. Only after the white ants have broken their ranks do you realize it is illusion. The cry of the cuckoo grows sharp—turn back early. From old times, Yin Zhi can lengthen life; if one does good, there is no need to beg for pity—Heaven will care for itself.

After this, Emperor Taizong, faint and distant as mist, sent out his spirit directly before Wufeng Tower. He saw the Imperial Guard horses and, being invited, followed his Majesty from court to go hunting. He followed with delight and departed into a hazy distance. After some time had passed, man and horse were both gone. He was left all alone, walking the desolate wild fields and rough grassland. Just as he grew anxious, unable to find his way, from that side a man suddenly cried out at the top of his voice: "Great Tang Emperor, come here, come here." Taizong heard him and lifted his head to look. There stood that man:

At his head was black gauze, and a rhinoceros-horn girdle around his waist. Black gauze on the head fluttered with a soft trailing cloth, while the rhinoceros-horn sash at his waist showed a golden setting. In his hand he held an ivory hu, gathering auspicious vapors. A silk robe clung to him, hiding a favorable radiance. He wore a pair of pinkish stockings-and-boots, stepping on them he rose through drifting clouds as if ascending. In his bosom he carried a Register of Life and Death, with lifespans and deaths written there. His disheveled side-locks flew and brushed his ears, and his whiskers danced and curled by his cheeks. He had once been a chancellor of the Tang state; now he keeps the case-desk in attendance on the Yama King.

When Taizong came to him, he knelt by the roadside and said, "Your Majesty, forgive my fault in delaying your summons." Taizong asked, "Who are you? Why have you come to receive a visit?" He replied, "Your servant, half a month ago in the Hall of the Net, saw that in the matter of the Ghost Dragon of the Qinghe River who asked Your Majesty for rescue and then turned to kill, First Hall Qin Guangwang ordered ghost messengers to summon Your Majesty at once and ask that Your Majesty come for deliberation before the three courts. I already knew of this, so I came here to wait for this summons. I did not expect to be late today. I beg your pardon. Pardon me, pardon me." Taizong asked, "What is your surname and name, and what office did you hold?" He said, "Your servant once served in the Yang Court before my late lord, first as prefect of Zizhou, then promoted to Vice-Minister of Rites in the Ministry. My surname is Cui, my name is Jue. Now in the nether office I serve as Pan-guan, an adjudicating clerk in Fengdu, before the Yama King." Taizong was greatly pleased and stepped nearer, offering him his hand with haste: "You have labored in a distant place. I had a letter from Wei Zheng before me, and it was meant for you, yet heaven has made us meet." The adjudging official thanked him. "Where is the letter?" Taizong took it from his sleeve and handed it over. Cui Jue accepted it with a bow, unsealed it, and read:

Reverent younger brother Wei Zheng, bowing with his head to the ground, writes to Cui-lao, Senior of the Great Court. I remember our former friendship; your voice and form are still as vivid as ever. In only a few short years I have heard nothing of your proper guidance. It has ever been only in the seasonal terms that I prepare offerings of greens in devotion; I cannot know whether they have been accepted or not. Through your kindness you have not cast me off; you have manifested in dreams, so I now know my elder has ascended high. Alas, Yin and Yang are divided; we are in separate heavens and cannot meet face to face. Now that my sovereign, Emperor Taizong, has died all at once, it is certain that in the accounting of the Three Courts there will surely be another meeting with my elder. I earnestly beg you to remember our lifelong friendship, and with one small kindness allow the emperor to return to the realm of yang; that alone would be true kindness. Let me offer my thanks once more; words fail. The adjudicating official, full of joy after reading the letter, said, "The matter that Wei Zheng of the Censorate beheaded the Old Dragon in a dream before the other day—Your servant knew of that from early on and praised it beyond expression. I am also grateful that he has attended to my descendants day and night; now that this letter has come, let Your Majesty be at ease. Your servant will escort Your Majesty back to the world of yang, to mount the Jade Capital once more." Taizong thanked him.

While the two were still speaking, there suddenly came a pair of green-robed child attendants on that side, each carrying a banner-pole and a jeweled canopy, shouting together, "The Yama King invites you, invites you." Taizong then went with Cui Guan, and with those two children, taking steps forward together. Suddenly they saw a city. On the city gate hung a great signboard with seven great golden characters: "Ghost-Mouth Pass of the Netherworld Office." The two green-robed attendants waved their banners and flags, guiding Taizong directly into the city and along the street. At the roadside in that same street, former sovereign Li Yuan, elder brother Jiancheng, and younger brother Yuangji came forward crying, "Shimin has come, Shimin has come." Jiancheng and Yuangji then rushed to seize him and demand his life-thread. Taizong could not evade them and was grabbed. Fortuitously Cui Guan called out to a green-faced, fang-toothed ghost agent, who drove Jiancheng and Yuangji back; only then did Taizong escape. After they had gone only a few li, they saw a pavilioned tower with blue glazed tiles, truly magnificent. Its appearance was:

Loftily it rose in ten thousand drifting layers, a heap of many-colored rosy clouds, with faint threads of a thousand red mists emerging. Along the eaves glimmered fierce beast-head ornaments, with five layered mandarin-duck inlay gleaming. The doors were set with red-gold nails driven in many channels, and a horizontal white-jade slab stood as a barrier. Near the windows, close-set light gave off dawn-like mist; curtain-braids fluttered, bright as crimson lightning. The towers rose high, touching the blue skies, and the halls and corridors stood in even rows, linked to jewel courts. Beast-shaped incense cauldrons and drifting cloud-scent brushed the imperial robes, and crimson-gauze lamps and torches brightened the palace screens. On one side, a fierce cow-head moved; below on the other, a rugged face like that of Rome (a guardian countenance). The dead were received and sent on; golden placards turned them, with pale ribbons hanging for calling back the soul and soul-attraction. This was called the Hall of the General Assembly of the Netherworld, beneath which stood Yama’s Senluo Hall.

Taizong was still watching outside when he saw jingling ornaments along the walls, strange celestial fragrance, and at the outer edge two pairs of torch-bearers. Behind them, the Ten Yama Kings of successive ages descended their terraces: Qin Guang Wang, Chu Jiang Wang, Song Di Wang, Wu Guan Wang, Yan Luo Wang, Pingdeng Wang, Taishan Wang, Dushi Wang, Biancheng Wang, and Zhenlun Wang. The ten kings came out into the Senluo Treasure Hall, bent at the waist and with backs curved in reverence, meeting and greeting Taizong. Taizong, in humility, did not dare to go ahead. The ten kings said, "Your Majesty is a ruler among people of the living world; we are kings of spirits in the shadow world. Each does what is his proper charge. Why all this over-deference?" Taizong said, "I have offended Your servant troops; how could I speak of the boundaries between heaven-and-earth and people and spirits?" and he kept lowering himself in reverence. He then advanced, entered directly into the Senluo Hall, and after exchanging formal greetings with the ten kings, the two sides sat as host and guest.

After some time, Qin Guang Wang came forward with folded hands and said, "The Ghost Dragon of Qinghe had told Your Majesty it had asked for rescue and then turned to kill; how is this to be explained?" Taizong said, "I once dreamt at night that the Old Dragon sought help; I truly granted that he be unharmed. I did not anticipate that he would commit a crime subject to death, when my Criminal Court official Wei Zheng should punish him with execution. I ordered Wei Zheng to play chess in the hall and did not know that he decapitated him in one dream. It was an unforeseen matter by Wei Zheng’s hidden stratagem, and moreover the dragon king was itself one whose crime merited death. In what way is this my fault?" The ten kings heard and knelt in assent: "Even before that dragon was born, the death register in the Southern Dipper already recorded that he was to die by the hand of the Human-Court official. We have long known this. Yet because he pleaded in this court, it was necessary for Your Majesty to come here and for the three courts to deliberate together. We sent him into the Wheel of Causation, to be reborn. Now, since we have had Your Majesty descend, we beg your pardon for having urged you so." Afterward, he ordered the case clerk of the register of life and death to bring out the register. Cui Guan quickly went to the clerical hall and reviewed the Great Register of the kings’ heavenly tenure of the many lands under the world. He first checked in order and saw that for the Tang Emperor Taizong of the Southern Jambudvipa, only Zhenguan Year Thirteen was recorded as his allotted heavenly lifespan. Cui Guan was startled. He quickly took up thick ink and a broad brush, added two strokes to the character "one," and presented the register again. The ten kings looked from start to end and saw that beneath Taizong’s name was now recorded Thirty-three years. The Yama King exclaimed, "How many years has Your Majesty reigned?" Taizong replied, "Your Majesty is pleased; I ascended the throne thirteen years ago." The Yama King said, "Your Majesty need not worry; there are twenty more years of yang-world life. This clarifies the matter in the examination, so please return to your original world of the living." Taizong bowed and thanked him. The ten kings dispatched Cui Guan and Commander Zhu, and they sent Taizong back to recover his soul. Taizong came out of the Senluo Hall and, rising to ask, said to the ten kings, "How fares all in my palace, the young and old?" The ten kings answered, "All are well; but we fear Her Highness the princess may not have long life." Taizong again knelt and thanked them: "When I return to the world of yang, there is nothing with which I can repay except melons and fruit." The ten kings rejoiced, saying, "In our place we have plenty of east melons and west melons; we only lack a pumpkin." Taizong said, "When I return, I will send one, I will send one." And then they saluted each other and parted.

That Great Commander held aloft a soul-guiding banner and walked ahead to lead the way. Cui Guan followed behind, protecting Taizong, and they went directly out of the under-office. Taizong lifted his eyes and looked and found that this was not the old road, and asked the adjudicating official, "Is this not the wrong road?" The adjudicating official said, "No, this is not wrong. In the nether court it is always thus—there is a route for departure and no route for return. Now that Your Majesty is being sent out from the Wheel of Rebirth, on one hand we ask Your Majesty to view the nether realms, and on the other we guide Your Majesty in seeking a transfer beyond for renewed life." Taizong could only follow the two guides as they led the way.

After walking on for a few li, they suddenly saw a high mountain. Dark clouds hung to the ground, and black mist filled the sky. Taizong said, 'Master Cui, what mountain is that over there?' The judgment-officer said, 'It is the Underworld’s Back-Shady Mountain.' Taizong asked in fear, 'How can I get through it, Your Majesty?' The judge replied, 'Your Majesty, do not worry. Loyal officials will lead the way.' With trembling and trepidation, Taizong followed the two of them. When they had climbed the mountain rock and looked up, they saw:

The forms rose and fell in hummocks, the shape more rugged and craggy than before. Steep as Mount Shu, high as the cliffs of Lu Rock. It was no famed peak of the sunlit realm, but dangerous ground in the nether court. Thickets of thorn hid ghosts and monsters; the phosphorescent stone faces concealed evil spirits. No beast-song or bird-song could be heard, only ghosts and demons moving before the eyes. Chilly wind whipped in, and black fog stretched without end. The gusting wind was the smoke breathed from the mouths of spirit soldiers; the rolling black fog came from ghostly presences hissing out in secret. Looking out, there was no scenery at all, only heights and hollows; left and right, everything seemed lost in wild disorder. There were mountains there, peaks there, ridges there, caves there, ravines there. Yet the mountain grew no grass; peaks did not reach heaven; ridges admitted no traveler; caves took in no cloud; ravines held no flowing water. On the banks stood hordes of demons and goblins; below the ridges, legions of divine monsters. Wild ghosts gathered in the caves; evil souls hid in ravine beds. Before and behind the mountain, Ox-Head and Horse-Face cried out in maddening confusion; half-hidden, half-concealed, hungry ghosts and ruined souls wept in despair. The Death-Calling judge rushed to send out summonses; the Soul-Pursuing marshal dashed after them, shouting as he drove forward the warrants of heaven and earth. Quick footsteps and spinning gusts came in great whirlpools; hook-man capturers came through the black fog in confusion. Relying wholly on the judge’s protection, Taizong passed over the Mountain of Yin.

They moved forward and passed through many more offices; everywhere there were weeping sounds filling the ears and monstrous horrors that startled the heart. Taizong asked again, 'What place is this?' The judge replied, 'This is the behind-mountain region: the eighteen levels of hell.' Taizong asked, 'Which are those eighteen?' The judge said, 'Listen while I speak:

Hanging-Tendon Hell, Dark-Twisted-Hardship Hell, and Fire-Pit Hell — still and desolate, anxious and distressed, all are born of the many misdeeds done in life and come here after death to atone. Fengdu Hell, Tongue-Tearing Hell, and Skin-Shearing Hell — with crying and wailing, sorrowful and heart-rending cries. They come here for disloyalty, for childlessness toward parents, for violating the Way of Heaven and Earth; serpent-like words with Buddha-like faces brought them to this gate. Molar-Grinding Hell, Mortar-Pounding Hell, and Cart-Crushing Hell — their skin split, flesh torn, gnashing and biting, all because deceitful hearts misled themselves and they were not just, harming others with smooth words and seductive speech. Cold-Ice Hell, Shell-Stripping Hell, and Gut-Pulling Hell — soiled faces, tousled hair, brows knotted and eyes darkly troubled. These are for those who tipped the scales unfairly, who cheated with false weights and measures, then brought calamity upon themselves. Oil-Kettle Hell, Dark-Hell, and Knife-Mountain Hell — trembling and fearful, grief-struck and wailing, all because they used force to oppress the good and withdrew into shrinking, hiding heads in shame. Blood-Pool Hell, Avici Hell, and Balance-Beam Hell — their skin hung loose, bones bare, arms bent and tendons severed, all because they sought profit by harming life, slaughtering beast and man, descending for ten thousand years and never finding explanation, forever sinking without rising. One by one they were tightly bound and tied with ropes and cords. Red-haired ghosts and black-faced ghosts came with long spears and short swords; Ox-Head and Horse-Face came with iron tablets and copper maces. They beat them so fiercely their brows knotted, their faces bloodied and swollen, crying to heaven and earth for help with none to answer. There is no one in life who can deceive the heart and escape. Gods and spirits see all and do not let anyone pass clean. What is done as good or evil always receives recompense in the end; only the timing of return is earlier or later.' Hearing this, Taizong felt dread-struck sorrow rise within him.

After going forward again for not long, they saw a band of ghost soldiers each bearing bannered standards. They knelt at the roadside and said, 'The Bridge-Maiden-messages have come to escort.' The judge ordered them to rise and asked him to lead Taizong on. They crossed by the Golden Bridge. Taizong then saw on the other side a silver bridge. On it walked several men of loyalty and filial virtue, upright and fair-minded people, and banners were likewise raised to guide them. On that other bank another bridge lay, where cold wind roared and waves of blood surged like tide, and cries of lament never ceased. Taizong asked, 'What is the name of that bridge?' The judge said, 'Your Majesty, that is the Naihe Bridge. Once you return to the world of light, you must transmit this account. Beneath that bridge are:

Flooding waters, vast as they pour on, with a route that is perilous, narrow, and steep. It appears like a long rope across the Yangzi, yet seems as though the fire pits themselves had drifted into this realm. Infernal air numbs one to the bone; a rank, bloody wind pushes into the nostrils and pierces the heart. The waves heave and roll; no boats can cross or return. Those with bare feet and matted hair move to and from, all employed as spirits of retribution. The bridge is several li long, only three zhang wide, a hundred chi high, and a thousand depths deep. No railings guard the top; below lurk wicked ghosts who seize passersby. Iron shackles coil about bodies, hauling them toward the dangerous crossing of the Nai River. Look there at the bridge gods—ferocious and unruly—and the wicked souls in the river within, tormented without end. On gnarled trees hang blue, red, yellow, and purple silk garments. Before the cliff-front sat cruel wives who reviled parents-in-law and were foul and lewd in conduct. Bronze snakes and iron hounds fight and contend for food in vain. Those cast into the Naihe have no road of escape. Poem: One hears cries of ghosts and cries of gods; waves of blood-water rise ten thousand feet high. Countless Ox-Heads and Horse-Faces, fierce-faced, stand guard at the Bridge of Naihe.

While this was being spoken, the bridge guides had already gone back. Taizong was alarmed again, nodding in silent despair. Following the judge and the Marshal of the Ten Kings, he quickly passed beyond the evil waters of Naihe and the kingdom of blood-basin misery. He came then to the City of Injustly Dead, and from within came loud, roaring shouts: 'Li Shimin has come! Li Shimin has come!' Hearing the call, Taizong’s heart shook and raced. He saw a group of ghosts with twisted waists and broken arms, some without heads, blocking the way. All cried out, 'Give us back our life! Give us back our life!' In panic, Taizong hid himself, darting here and there, crying only, 'Master Cui, save me! Master Cui, save me!' The judge said, 'Your Majesty, those are the ghosts of those slain unjustly from sixty-four places of dust-and-smoke, and from the seventy-two rebel lordly bands and clan-chiefs of the wilds. They are all wronged souls without merit, without guardians, unable to transcend. They have no money-bills with which to complete their rites, and are all solitary hungry ghosts. If Your Majesty gives them money now, only then can I rescue you through. Your Majesty says, "I came here with nothing but my body; where can I obtain money?"' The judge replied, 'In the world above there is a man in Kaifeng of Henan, surname Xiang, personal name Liang, with many silver and gold reserves stored in this nether office—thirteen vaults in all. Your Majesty may borrow on paper in his name and give your name as surety; borrow one vault and give it out to these hungry ghosts, and then you may pass.' Taizong asked, 'Who is this man?' The judge answered, 'He is a man of Henan’s Kaifeng Prefecture, surname Xiang, name Liang. He has thirteen storehouses of silver and gold here. Borrow one now and repay it once you return to the mortal realm.' Pleased, Taizong readily agreed to borrow in his name. He drew up the document and signed it with the judge, borrowing one storehouse of silver and gold and ordering the Marshal to distribute it all to the ghosts. The judge then instructed, 'You all may use this silver and gold equally and in due measure. Let the Emperor of Tang pass; his span of life in the sunlight is still long. I have received the command of the Ten Kings. I will send him back-restored. Tell him to hold a Water-Land Assembly in the mortal world and guide you all into further birth, so you will cause no more disturbances.' Hearing this, the ghosts took the silver and gold and withdrew with murmuring assent. The judge ordered the Marshal to wave the soul-banner; he led Taizong out of the City of the Wrongly Dead. They rushed out to the Pingyang Road and drifted rapidly onward.

After moving on for some time, they came to the realm of the Sixfold Wheel of Rebirth. They saw those who rode up through clouds, with dawn-colored silk robes upon their shoulders, and those who bore talismanic warrants, with golden fish hanging at their waists. Monks and nuns, lay believers, beasts that ran and birds that flew, spirits and monsters all streamed beneath that wheel, each running in its own current and entering its own way. Taizong asked, 'What does all this mean?' The judge replied, 'Your Majesty has clear mind and insight; you will surely remember this and tell people in the human world. This is called the six-way wheel of rebirth. Those who do good become transformed toward the immortal path; those utterly loyal rise toward the noble path; those who practice filial piety are reborn into blessedness; those who are fair and just return in human form; those who accumulate merit are reborn into wealth and abundance; the malicious and cruel sink into the ghostly path.' Taizong, as he listened, nodded and sighed,

Good indeed, truly good indeed: good deeds bear no ruin. When the heart is steadfast in kindness, the way of goodness opens wide. Never allow evil thoughts to rise, and disorder and folly will be few. Do not say there is no retribution; gods and ghosts have their own arrangement.

The judge escorted Taizong to the gate of the Noble Path of Transcendent Rebirth and called out, 'Your Majesty, this is the place to emerge. This junior judge now takes leave; Marshal Zhu will escort you one more stage.' Taizong thanked him: 'You have greatly labored by travelling so far to guide me.' The judge said, 'When Your Majesty returns to the mortal world, do hold a Water-Land Assembly and save the nameless wronged spirits, without fail. Only when there are no cries of grievance in the nether office can the human world enjoy peace and felicity. All unkind acts, be they many, may be corrected one by one. Teach all people in the world to do good; guide your descendants to carry on the lineage long, and let the realm endure forever.'

Taizong dutifully received each instruction and bowed farewell to Judge Cui, then followed Marshal Zhu and entered together through the gate. As soon as they entered, the marshal saw inside a haīliú horse, fully equipped with saddle and trappings, and urgently invited Taizong to mount. The marshal and his attendants helped him settle on the horse. The horse ran like an arrow and soon reached the bank of the Wei River. There, on the water, they saw two golden carp turning the waves and leaping in struggle. Taizong was delighted by the sight and held the reins, unwilling to leave the river’s edge to ride on. Marshal Zhu said, 'Your Majesty, stir yourself and make haste. We should be back into the city before the hour passes.' But the king kept watching, unable to turn away. Catching him by the foot, the marshal cried out, 'Still not moving? What are you waiting for?' With a thud, he shoved him from the horse toward the Wei. In one instant Taizong left the Underworld and returned directly to the world of the living.

Now it was said that in the Tang court there were Xu Mao Gong, Qin Shubao, Hu Jingde, Duan Zhixuan, Ma Sanbao, Cheng Yaojin, Gao Shilian, Li Shiji, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Xiao Yu, Fu Yi, Zhang Daoyuan, Zhang Shiheng, Wang Gui, and others from the two classes of civil and military officials, all guarding the Eastern Palace crown prince, the empress, consorts, palace maids, and chief attendants, all of whom mourned in the White Tiger Hall. At one side they discussed issuing a mourning edict to inform the empire, with the intention of helping the crown prince ascend the throne. At that moment Wei Zheng, standing by the side, said, 'All of you, hold still—no, no. If this stirs up the prefectures and counties, there may be unforeseen trouble. Wait one more day, and our lord will surely return to life.' Then Xu Jingzong came forward: 'What the Chancellor Wei says is gravely wrong. Since ancient times it is said, “Water once spilled cannot be gathered; the dead do not return.” How can you still speak such empty words, clouding men’s minds? What sense is this?' Wei Zheng answered, 'I will not conceal this from Master Xu: I learned immortal arts since childhood, and my calculations are very clear; I know my lord will not die.'

As they were speaking, they heard repeated cries from inside the coffin: “They are drowning me! They are drowning me!” The civil officials and generals alike were all shaken; the empress and consorts were terrified. One after another:

Their faces were like yellow mulberry leaves after autumn, and their waists like tender willow shoots of early spring. The crown prince’s knees were weak and he could hardly bear the funeral staff to complete the rites; the chief attendants seemed soul-struck—how could they wear mourning crowns and keep the rules of filial grief? The consorts fell and the painted girls leaned askew. The consorts fell, like a wild wind toppling fallen hibiscus; the painted girls tilted, like a sudden shower skewing the graceful lotus. The ministers were in dread, their bones and sinews gone soft. Quaking, shivering, dumb, and dazed. The Hall of the White Tiger looked like a broken bridge; the mourning platform was like a collapsing temple. At that moment every palace woman had fled in fright, and none dared approach the coffin to support it. By luck the upright Xu Mao Gong, steadfast Chancellor Wei, bold Qin Qiong, and fierce Jingde stepped forward to prop up the bier and cried, 'If Your Majesty has something left unsaid in your heart, tell us. Do not play at ghosts and frighten the household.' Wei Zheng said, 'It is no ghost-trick; this is Your Majesty’s soul returning. Bring the instruments quickly.' They opened the coffin lid and indeed saw Taizong seated inside, still crying out, 'I am being drowned! Who will pull me out?' Xu Mao Gong and the others came forward and raised him, saying, 'Your Majesty has awakened. Do not fear; all your ministers are here to guard you.' Taizong then opened his eyes: 'I suffered just now. I escaped evil ghosts in the Netherworld, and then faced a drowning disaster on the water.' The ministers said, 'Majesty, do not panic; why such fear? What water disaster is this?' Taizong said, 'I was riding a horse and had come to the bank of the Wei River, where I saw two-headed fish playing. The Marshal Zhu, with malicious intent, shoved me from the horse; I fell into the river and was nearly drowned.' Wei Zheng said, 'Your Majesty’s ghostly qi has not yet fully dispersed.' He hurriedly ordered the physicians to administer Anshen Dingpo decoction and prepared gruel. Only after one or two rounds did he fully return to himself and to human awareness. The king had been dead for three days and three nights, and had returned to this world to rule again. A poem proves it: Through all ages, states rise and change and rise again; through many dynasties, ruin and restoration have never ceased. Zhou, Qin, Han, and Jin saw many strange events—who compares with a Tang king who died and returned to life? By then the day had grown late. The ministers asked the king to retire and rest, and each went to his place.

The next morning he took off his mourning robes and put on colorful clothes; one by one red robes and black hats, one by one purple ribbons with golden seals. They all waited outside the court gate for the summons.

It is said that after Taizong had taken the Anshen Dingpo medicine and swallowed gruel several times, the ministers carried him into his chamber. He slept steadily through the night, restoring his strength, and at dawn rose and straightened his bearing. See how he dressed:

He wore a crown that rose to the sky, and a robe of ochre-yellow. He tied a Blue-Field jade belt, and stepped into the sorrowless shoes of state-building. His figure was imposing, surpassing all present in court; his majesty and radiance now burned anew. What a great king of peaceful and just Great Tang this was—the restored Emperor Li who rose from death.

Taizong entered the Hall of Golden Dragon, and all civil and military officials assembled. After the shouts had ended, they were arranged by rank. The court announcement went out: ‘Those with matters to present, step out and report. Those with no matters, retire.’ From the eastern side came Xu Mao Gong, Wei Zheng, Wang Gui, Du Ruhui, Fang Xuanling, Yuan Tiangang, Li Chunfeng, Xu Jingzong, and others; from the western side came Yin Kaisan, Liu Hongji, Ma Sanbao, Duan Zhixuan, Cheng Yaojin, Qin Shubao, Hu Jingde, Xue Rengui, and others. All came together forward to the white-jade steps, knelt, and implored: 'How long did your former-day dream last before waking?' Taizong said, 'Not long ago I received Wei Zheng’s letter. I felt my soul leave the hall, saw the Yulin troops summoning me out for the hunt. As I rode, man and horse disappeared. Then I saw my father-king and elder brothers quarrelling. At the moment I could not make sense of it, I saw a man in black hat and black robe—Cui Jue, the judge—who drove them all off. I delivered Wei Zheng’s letter to him. When I looked, another in blue robes, holding banner and pennant, seized my guide and brought me inward, to the Shenluo Hall where the ten Yama Kings were seated. He told me that the Dragon of Jing River had falsely accused me of a case of rescue turned killing, and he laid out my full prior statement. He said the three departments had reviewed the case and had immediately ordered the Book of Life and Death to be brought so my mortal span could be checked. Cui the judge brought the register. After the Yama King examined it, he said: “Your Majesty has received thirty-three years of Heavenly merit, of which only thirteen have passed; you still have twenty years of mortal life remaining. So take down your letter of release—send Your Majesty back.” Marshal Zhu and Cui the judge were ordered to return me. After parting from the ten kings, I promised to send fruits in thanks for the favor. When I passed out of the Shenluo Hall, I saw in the Netherworld unfilial and disloyal people, those without propriety or righteousness, those who violated the grain, deceived by day and darkened by deceit at night, those who cheated with great and small measures, those guilty of lustful fraud and deceitful plunder. They endured grinding, roasting, and hewing torments, boiling and peeling punishments—ten-thousands upon ten-thousands, far too many to count. Passing through the city of unjust deaths, there were endless wronged spirits, all the ghostly bandits of sixty-four dust-and-smoke places and rebel souls of seventy-two treasonous places, blocking my way. Thankfully Cui the judge stood surety; he borrowed a storehouse of gold and silver from an old man in Henan and bought over the ghost-souls, and only then could I go forward. Cui told me, when he sent me back to the living world, to hold a great water-and-land collation and liberate those ownerless, lonely souls; he repeated this injunction. Leaving the Sixfold Turning paths of rebirth, Zhu the Marshal asked me to mount, and we sped like birds in flight to the bank of the Wei River. I saw two-headed fish playing on the water. In the very moment of my joy, he gripped my feet and pushed me into the water; only then did I receive my return to life.' When the ministers heard this, all offered praise. Thereupon this was sent through the provinces; officials in every bureau and county submitted memorials of celebration and did not write further.

Taizong again issued an edict pardoning the empire’s criminals and reviewed those in gaol for serious offenses. An inspector reported more than four hundred serious offenders to be beheaded and strangled. Taizong pardoned them and sent them home. They bowed to their parents and brothers, entrusted their property to relatives and nephews, and were told that by this day next year they should report to Cao and accept whatever punishment still rightly belonged to them. The released offenders withdrew in gratitude. He also issued a proclamation on relief for orphans. He then checked the palace and found three thousand palace women, young and old; he issued an order dispatching them to military service. From then on, both inside and outside were at peace. A poem attests:

The Great Tang king’s benevolence is vast, surpassing Yao and Shun, and all the people are abundant. Four hundred death prisoners were all released from prison; three thousand resentful women were sent out from the palace. In all the realm, officials acclaimed your long life; in the court, all ministers congratulated Yuanlong. If kindness moves once in the heart, heaven will surely grant aid; blessed grace should pass through seventeen generations.

After Taizong had released the palace girls and finished sending out death prisoners, he then issued an imperial-board edict and spread it across the empire. The board said:

Heaven and earth are vast, and the sun and moon judge with clear light. The cosmos is wide and expansive; in heaven and earth there is no room for traitors. Use your mind with technique and you will see that reward comes in this life alone. Goodness sought on a small scale brings blessing; do not even speak of merit in a later world. For all the cunning plans a thousandfold, nothing surpasses doing one’s duty as a person. For all the mighty forceful arts a myriadfold, none is like matching what comes with frugal virtue. Let the heart move in compassion and kindly action—what effort is there in reading sutras? If one wishes to harm others, it is empty learning, even if one studies one volume of the Buddha’s teachings.

From then on, it seems there was no one in the whole realm who did not practice some good. At one side, another board recruiting the worthy was posted, inviting people to carry fruit into the Netherworld; at another side, one treasure vault of gold and silver was allocated from the royal hoard, and Yuchi Gong and Hu Jingde were ordered to go to Kaifeng in Henan to find Xiangliang and recover what was owed.

After the board was posted for several days, one worthy man came by its command to offer fruit offerings. He was from Junzhou, surnamed Liu and named Quan, with a fortune of ten thousand strings of cash. His wife, Li Cuilian, had once at the gate plucked out a gold hairpin to give alms to a monk; Liu Quan spoke to her a few insulting words, saying she failed to observe a wife’s place and had ventured out of the inner chamber. Li, unable to bear it, hanged herself. She left behind two young children who wept day and night. Liu Quan too could not bear to see them. Unable to bear the pain, he ended his life, abandoned household ties, and abandoned his children; willing to die in making fruit offerings, he tore off the imperial board and came to see Taizong. The king issued an order telling him to go to the Jinting Pavilion, balance a pair of gourds on his head, tie yellow coins in his sleeves, and hold the medicine in his mouth.

Then Liu Quan, who had taken poison and died, came to the Gate of Ghosts as a tiny spark of soul carrying melons. The ghost at the gate shouted, "Who are you, dare you come here?" Liu Quan replied, "I serve by the Imperial order of the Great Tang Emperor Taizong, specially bearing melons and fruit for the ten Yama Kings to receive." The ghost messenger gladly led him in. Liu Quan went straight to the Hall of Senluo and, after seeing the Yama King, offered the melons and said, "By the Tang emperor’s decree, this humble tribute of melons is offered in deep thanks for the mercy shown by the Ten Kings." The Yama King rejoiced: "What a faithful and virtuous emperor is Emperor Taizong!" and so accepted the melons. He then asked who had brought the melons and from where he hailed. Liu Quan said, "I am a townsman of Junzhou. My surname is Liu, my name Quan. My wife, Lady Li, hanged herself, leaving children with no one to care for them. I was willing to abandon home and children and sacrifice my body for the state, and so I have specially brought these melons to offer our king, thanking the Great Kings for their deep kindness." Hearing this, the Ten Kings immediately ordered that Lady Li, Liu Quan’s wife, be verified. The ghost messenger quickly brought her to the Hall of Senluo to meet Liu Quan and his wife. After finishing the preliminaries and returning their gratitude for the kings’ mercy, the Yama King checked the Register of Life and Death and found that both spouses had lifespans marked for ascension, so he at once dispatched a ghost to send them back. The messenger then reported, "Li Cuilian has been in the nether realm for a long time; her corpse is gone, where can her soul rest?" The Yama King said, "The Tang palace maid Li Yuying is now due to die soon. You may borrow her body and send her back to return with her soul." The ghost messenger took the command, returned Liu Quan and his wife to life, and left the underworld with them together.

Still it is unknown how the two spouses were restored to life; await the resolution in the next chapter.